I've finally found my dream house rating system, which is just like an EPA rating label for an appliance or a car:
I've been saying for years that as consumers get more educated about energy efficiency in homes, the demand for efficient homes will increase, and the selling price of those homes will increase.
Well, I'm tired of waiting*, so this rating system gives the consumers what they need to know NOW.
NOTE: this is a rating system, and by definition, can only be measured on a house that has been built. This will prevent the most insidious types of greenwashing, like advertising a LEED rating before the home has been built.
There isn't any "embodied energy" rating here, but I think a third scale for that would start making this rating system too confusing. The embodied energy of a low energy new home is small enough to be ignored for now. If and when a carbon tax is implemented, that will be reflected in the selling price of the house.
*I realized that until Realtors understand this stuff, most consumers have no hope. I haven't yet met a Realtor who really understands the difference between a KW and a KWH.
| energytrust.org_library_forms_ENH_TP_EPS_Certificate_sample.pdf | 811.7 KB |
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